When it comes to supper clubs, the South knows a thing or two. Whether it’s in someone’s home or at a rotating list of restaurants, we’ll find any excuse to gather around the table with friends every month.

Now, a supper club with a twist. Meet Twelve, a potluck inspired by words.

It works like this: every other month founders James Martin and Jen West (an Atlanta designer and Birmingham marketer and blogger) host a potluck supper with 12 participants. Each attendee is assigned a course number and a random word as inspiration for a dish or cocktail.

At the dinner, each guest explains his or her dish and how they were inspired by their given word. For instance, at the first dinner (held at James’ home in Atlanta’s Old Fourth Ward) the word “dirt” inspired a dish made from root vegetables:

And this, inspired by the word “Down” — honeyed grapefruit granita with mild honey, fresh grapefruit, lemon, mind and a splash of wine:

This one (by Jen) was called “Chaos” (fourth course). It’s egg drop soup with baby bok choy and spring onion, topped with wonton sesame candy that dissolved in the soup.

Why create a supper club based on words? “We agreed that we’d love to do a potluck series with friends on a regular basis,” Jen says. “Once the idea came up that each dish/drink would be based on an out-of-the-ordinary inspirational word, we knew that we had a unique and fun concept up our sleeves.”

They’re alternating the events — one month in Atlanta and one in Birmingham, with additional Southern cities in the works. Attendees sign up on their website, and receive their words from the couple. So why open it up, and not just stick with throwing dinner parties with their friends?

James, who also runs the monthly Burger Coalition (a monthly meetup in Atlanta and Birmingham over burgers) and is working on a documentary about creativity in the South, says it’s about community.

“Since I moved to Atlanta in 2010 from Ohio I’ve had the pleasure of exploring the South and observing how great a community can be to each other, I’ve strived to let that be a motivational factor in what I do.”

Among participants at the first dinner: entrepreneurs, nurses, teachers, and writers, all with varying levels of cooking expertise (and some with very little.) The point is to try. We like that.

Next up, the first Birmingham dinner (January 27). All the slots are filled (we’re eager to see what dishes will come from “old” and “space.”) Future events will be posted on their website and via Twitter.